


Nobody Likes To Be Alone

by bandastrophic (werelocked)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Miscommunication, x-factor era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2018-04-28 14:29:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5094119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/werelocked/pseuds/bandastrophic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Please don't hate me."<br/>"You can't help who you fall in love with. Or who you fall out of love with."</p><p>The boys try out for the X-Factor</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I don't know much about the X-Factor, and I'm researching how boot camp/judges houses work. But this is my story so that means I get to make stuff up!  
> Hope you guys like it!

Louis' mum was crying.

She started the moment Niall burst through the doors of the waiting room, but regained control for about fifteen minutes. When Louis raced backstage and joined them Johannah lost it again, smothering him in a bone-crushing hug.

Louis tolerated it for a few moments, but his excitement couldn't be contained. He wiggled out of her hold only to be ambushed by Maura, Niall's mum.

Unable to wait any longer Niall tugged on Louis' arm. Louis took one look at him before grabbing him by the waist and lifting him up in the air. Niall shrieked with laughter as he spun them around in circles.

As Louis set him down he kissed him, mostly just bumping Niall's mouth as his lips stretched in a wide grin. "We did it babe. We made it on the X-Factor."

Niall wrapped his arms around him and kissed the corner of his mouth. "The world's not ready for us."

 

* * *

 

Both their mums were crying now.

Dropping them off at boot camp, too overcome by letting go of their 'babies.'

"Next time we see you, you'll both be superstars!" Maura sniffled.

Louis laughed. "We can't both win, Mama H. We're competing separately."

His mom shook her head. "If anyone can find a way, it's you two."

Rolling his eyes, Niall gave her another hug. "Thanks, but I'd put my money on Lou. He was born for the spotlight."

"Niall's gonna take it all." Louis poked him in the ribs. "Proper talent, right there."

"Not gonna argue that." Niall smirked. Louis stuck his tongue out at him, leaning forward to lick his cheek. Niall ducked his head against Louis' neck, and Louis wrapped his arms around him. Niall could feel his boyfriend's lips skim over his ear.

One of the mums cleared their throat so they stepped apart. The two of them were watching their children closely, still looking a bit misty-eyed. "Take care of each other." Maura requested.

"Niall, do try to keep this one out of trouble, yeah?" Johannah added.

Louis opened his mouth, looking exaggeratedly offended but Niall cut him off. "I'll do my best."

Instead of dragging the goodbye out longer the two mums quickly left. No doubt to go to either the Tomlinson or Horan house for tea and more crying. Niall kept waving until their car passed by and they were out of sight.

Louis shrugged his backpack on and pulled out the handle of his suitcase. "Ready?"

Niall looked at the building in front of them apprehensively. The boot camp building loomed over them, looking more menacing than he remembered from previous seasons. It was a wide gray building, with a pointed roof similar to the pantheon. Large windows covered the entire front. It was a lot bigger than it looked on his telly.

Next to it was the hotel they were staying in. It was less imposing, but still sent a wave of unease through Niall. The quaint building wasn't very tall; and its large paneled windows and white stone walls made it seem more like a large house. Still, it was nothing like Niall's real home.

A million thoughts flew around his mind. Doubts that had been drowned by the excitement he felt from making it through auditions floated back to the surface. _What was I thinking? What if nobody votes for me? What if I never even make it through the first round? Will I get on with the other lads? What if I get kicked out - mum's not here, nobody's here._

A gentle squeeze on his shoulder snapped him out of it. Louis was right in front of him, looking concerned. He pressed their foreheads together and held eye contact until all Niall could focus on were bright blue eyes.

"I've got you, love. We're going to be just fine."

Niall nodded once. He picked up his own suitcase and slipped his hand into Louis' so as they walked into the hotel together.

A large group of people were clustered in the middle of the lobby. A few of them had blue shirts and clipboards and were herding them in different directions. Niall and Louis made their way over to the closest one. Her nametag read 'Cara.'

"Hello!" The brunette guide chirped. "Last names?"

"Tomlinson and Horan."

She checked her clipboard. "Louis? You'll be in room 24. On the left, down that hall." Cara pointed.

Louis thanked her and they started walking in that direction. Cara's voice called after them. "Niall, you'll be in room 53. Your roommate, Liam Payne, should already be there."

Niall froze. "What?"

Roommates? Of course they would have to share rooms. But Niall never even thought about the possibility of not living with Louis.

"Can't we swap or something?" Louis asked. "We thought we could room together."

Cara shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "Sorry, I just follow what the chart says."

They stopped by Louis' room first, where he hurriedly threw his stuff on the bed before they walked over to Niall's.

Just like Cara said, the room was occupied. A skinny boy with long brown hair was lying in bed with his headphones on. He smiled and waved at them when they came in to drop Niall's stuff. Niall waved back before tugging Louis into the hallway for a little privacy.

"Why so sad, love?" Louis murmured and cupped his cheek with one hand.

Niall leaned into his touch. "Don't want to live with Liam. Wanna live with you." He knew he sounded childish, but with the insecurities from before still weighing on his mind, Louis was the only thing that grounded him. He wanted him close, not yards away with another stranger in a different room.

"Don't worry. We're going to be together all the time. After practice and all that we can do whatever we want." Louis smiled mischievously, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I promised your mum I would keep you out of trouble."

"We can write songs in your room or something, then. I'll probably be over so much this 'Liam' is gonna be sick of me." Louis assured him.

That made Niall smile slightly. "That won't take long. You can be quite the menace."

"I am a _joy_ , Niall James Horan you take that back!"

Niall raised his eyebrows. "Yeah? Let's go in there and see how long it takes for Liam to kick you out."


	2. Chapter 2

Although it was five in the afternoon, the three of them seemed to have beaten the crowd. Niall could hear the other contestants shuffling down the hallway, dropping their stuff in their rooms, and saying goodbye to their parents. With this being the first day, everyone was just moving in. There was no schedule until the first day of practice tomorrow.

The first thing he and Liam decided on was rearranging the room. The current setup was awkward, with both beds on either side of the door. They pushed them so the headboards were against the left wall and moved their desks to the opposite wall. All the while Louis stood in the middle, 'helping' by directing them like a traffic guard.

Once the room felt a little less cramped, Niall collapsed on his bed. Louis joined him, spreading out and laying his head in Niall's lap. Liam stood awkwardly for a moment before climbing on his own bed and laying on his side.

"So how do you guys know each other?" he asked, looking between them curiously.

"Bumped into this poor lad while I was checking in." Louis smirked. "Just looked so helpless I graciously decided to take him under my wing."

"Bloody liar, this one is." Niall snorted.

Liam raised an eyebrow, unsure who to believe.

"Actually, Louis and I have been neighbors since I was six. First day we met he made fun of the spaces in my teeth. Can you believe it, I was bullied by some punk two years older than me." Niall shook his head. "But the next day at school he pushed Jamie Walsh in the mud for doing the exact same thing. 'Only I'm allowed to make fun of Gap Teeth' he says."

Louis nodded proudly. "I was protecting my new best friend."

Niall gave him a withering look. "Everyone called me that for the next two years. Pretty sure that's the reason you were my _only_ friend,"

"Don't be silly." Louis said dismissively. "Everyone loved you. Your teachers always called you 'sunshine' and your classmates thought you were so cool cause you were friends with an upperclassmen."

"You're right. The other lads in first grade were always so impressed when Finn Jones from year three would talk to me."

"Oi! I was talking about me!" Louis' protest was cut off by Liam.

"Wait, so er- did you both grow up in the UK?"

"Doncaster born and raised." Louis confirmed.

Liam looked at Niall. "So then why-"

"You're asking about my accent?" Niall smiled. "I'm originally from Ireland. My mum moved us here after she divorced my da. She says I was mostly around her and da when I was learning to speak, and I guess I just never lost me Irish charm."

"What about you? What's your story?" Louis questioned. Liam was halfway through a story about the sisters he'd left behind in Wolverhampton when a low rumble interrupted him.

Niall's stomach growled again, and Louis burst into laughter. "Time for a raid, lads. Let's see if can find the kitchen." He waggled his eyebrows and slid off the bed.

Liam and Niall followed him out of the room at a slower pace.

"Is he always like this?" Liam asked.

"He can be a lot to deal with." Niall hummed. "But you get used to it."

Louis stood waiting for them halfway down the hallway. "C'mon, babe." He urged.

"Go ahead love, we'll catch up." He said. Louis smiled at him softly and Niall kissed his cheek. "Go."

"I'll see if I can find some sweets." Louis promised before he took off again.

"He just needs to burn off energy sometimes." Niall continued saying to Liam.

"Wait, are you dating?" Liam asked in surprise. "Or - just close? I don't want to assume-"

Niall nodded. "He's my boyfriend. Will... Is that going to be an issue?"

He tried to ask casually, though his heart was racing in his chest. Nobody had ever had an issue with him and Louis before - at least not that he'd known of. Niall knew Louis took some measures to protect him from stuff like this, but it was rare that he wouldn't be able to get it out of his boyfriend later.

Their families were absolutely supportive, even Niall's mum. It was surprising, given her mostly conservative, Catholic upbringing in Ireland. Niall expected her to react more like his father and brother, who still gave him funny looks whenever he visited them with Louis.

Luckily his mum and Louis' had struck a friendship almost as quickly as their children. When they came out to their mums together the two of them made comments on how they accepted the other as their son long ago.

Nobody Niall had been close to ever had a problem with him dating Louis, and he hoped Liam wouldn't either. He wouldn't be able to live in close quarters with someone who might react unpredictably and Niall wasn't allowed to change roommates-

"Oh, no!" Liam gasped. He put a hand on Niall's shoulder. "I didn't mean it that way. God you must think I'm a jerk."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Then what did you mean?"

"It's just... you seem really nice. And Louis - he's kind of mean?" Liam rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.

Niall could see why Liam would think so. While they had been in the room earlier, some of the comments Louis made had Liam furrowing his eyebrows in concern. "Louis likes to tell jokes. He thinks new people will like him more if he's funny, and sometimes he doesn't know when to stop."

"I know people like that." Liam muttered, frowning.

"But once Louis becomes your friend it's different. He never stops teasing, not even me. But he's supportive and trustworthy and nobody will be as loyal to you as Louis is."

Liam still looked unsure, but he gave him a small smile. "You really love him."

Niall laughed. "Bet you will soon. Everyone loves Louis."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like it!

The following morning all the boys were woken up early for the first practice. Fifteen minutes after the someone had knocked on the door and chirped 'rehearsals in 30!' Niall finally opened his eyes.

Liam was already awake and showered, hovering by the door. "I got up early, and didn't see you when they started putting out breakfast. Figured I'd come get you so you didn't miss it."

"You learn fast, Liam. Already know that food's my one true love in life."

"I figured, once I saw you inhale those burgers we found in the kitchens last night." Liam grinned. "Thought you would bite off Louis' hand when he stole some chips."

Niall shook his head. "Nah, he's one of the few who can take from my plate and live to tell the story. But we better hurry up over there before there's nothing left."

"Do you want to see if Louis is awake?" Liam asked as Niall headed for their ensuite bathroom for a quick shower.

"Nah, more for us." Niall winked as he shut the door.

Niall found Louis waiting outside the room once he and Liam left. "Hey babe, was just about to check on you."

"Morning love." Louis hummed, still looking partially asleep. He brushed his lips softly against Niall's forehead, and Niall laced their fingers together.

They exited the boys' wing of the hotel into the lobby. Liam led them down another hallway to where the hotel's small restaurant was serving breakfast. They quickly grabbed some toast and fruit - Niall made sure to nab some extra coffee for Louis - before hurrying over to the X-Factor building.

One of the stage hands was going over the schedule for the day. Each of the contestants were going to meet with a vocal coach individually and run through some exercises. Once everyone was finished, they would be put in small groups with others that had similar styles and abilities for more training.

Niall spent most of the morning with Liam and Louis, waiting for their turns with the vocal coaches. Since they were going in order by last name, Niall was called in first.

The coach had him go through various scales to warm up, tested him on his sight reading, and had him finish by performing any song he wanted. Unprepared, he just sang his audition song again, figuring it was a safe bet since the judges had liked it enough to put him on the show. The frown on the coach's face as she sent him away made him nervous, the thought of getting kicked out before really getting a chance to start still fresh in his mind.

Louis grilled him as soon as he joined them again, and Niall made sure to warn them to have a song prepared. Liam nodded quietly, sitting further away from him and Louis than he remembered.

"That was almost too simple." Louis commented once he returned. "I expected them to make us jump through hoops right from the start."

"Reckon they want to ease us in on the first day, get a feel for everyone individually." Niall shrugged.

"We work with the judges tomorrow." Liam stated. "They're the ones to really put us to work."

"How do you know that, Lima?" Louis asked.

"I asked someone for the schedule."

"Leemo likes to be prepared." He said, making Liam narrow his eyes and frown.

They'd known each other less than a day and it seemed Louis had already made it his mission to continuously irritate Liam. His favorite method so far was to pronounce his name in as many incorrect ways as possible  until he got a reaction. Granted that reaction was usually Liam walking away in frustration. Niall had yet to find a way to have them get along.

While they made their way to the main stage with the rest of the group, Louis kept right on teasing. Liam grew more and more serious, gritting his teeth. Niall finally snapped at his boyfriend to just _'shut yer trap already!'_

He grabbed Liam's arm and dragged him around to the front of the group. Someone came by and put them into a group with three other boys, stating they would be performing N*SYNC's 'It's Gotta Be Me' together.

Two of the boys greeted Liam by name, and eagerly told him he should sing lead vocals while the rest of them split up the other parts of the song. A vivid blush colored all the way down Liam's neck but he nodded. Niall made a note to ask Liam what all that was about after rehearsals were over.

Liam took charge; the reserved attitude he held around Louis melting away. He had them run through the song twice while he watched, offering a suggestion on holding a note or praising someone for a great harmony. Then Liam led them through the song three or four more times all together.

By the time it was their turn to perform for the entire group, Niall was convinced their song was near flawless. He made sure to tell Liam that as soon as they finished.

"You were brilliant, Liam. Dunno how you did it, but you fixed our mistakes and made us sound like proper professionals. And your voice was absolutely incredible!" Niall rambled.

"Thanks, Niall." Once again Liam's face flushed pink. It seemed that the adrenaline was what brought Liam out of his shell, and once the rush of performing was wearing off, the shyness returned.

"When did you meet the other lads? How did they know you could sing like that?" he questioned.

Liam opened his mouth to answer when the next group started up. Three of them were girls, and there was Louis and another boy. They both paused to listen to them sing 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' by Elton John.

"He's nervous." Niall murmured halfway through, keeping his eyes on his boyfriend. The other boy and one of the girls were the lead in the song, and the other three harmonized behind them.

Watching Louis awkwardly swaying, Liam nodded.

"He's scared. He's been trying to distract himself, and I'm sorry he's made you a target, but he's not being intentionally mean."

Liam didn't say anything.

Several more groups went, performing songs by The Who, The Beatles, and Madonna. After 'Like A Virgin', they were all let go until tomorrow. They had instructions to pick a song they would be working on with the judges tomorrow.

On the walk back to the hotel, Louis was quiet. Niall tried to draw him into conversation with no luck. Once they were in his hotel room he and Liam made idle conversation, but there was not much to say without bringing up the events of today.

Niall slipped off his desk chair and crawled over to his bed, pulling out his guitar case from underneath. He unlocked the lid and perched on the top of his desk with the guitar on his lap. For a while he just strummed idly, playing the beginning chords of different songs. When Louis started humming along to 'A-Team' he kept going.

It was Liam who started singing first. His voice was clear and strong, as impressive as it had been earlier that afternoon. Louis joined him, adding a unique scratchy quality. Niall kept with his guitar, admiring the way the voices complimented each other.

"You two sound really good together." Niall said after he finished the last chords.

Liam eyed Louis skeptically and the older boy shrugged.

"Niall's right, you've got a good voice Payno."

Ignoring the nickname for once, Liam nodded. "Thanks Louis. I think you've got a lot of talent, too."

Watching the two of them smile softly at each other, Niall bit back a grin of his own. _It's a start. Finally._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! Thanks for reading xx


End file.
